Caltrans details $222.7 million Keene pavement project, says staged work will limit closures

Caltrans District 9 told the Kern Council of Governments Transportation Planning Policy Committee that it has $222,700,000 programmed to rehabilitate a key stretch of State Route 58, add a truck climbing lane and replace failing pavement with long-life concrete.

The project covers approximately 45 lane miles of new continuously reinforced concrete pavement, includes a roughly 3.5-mile uphill truck climbing lane just west of Hart Flat Road and two large animal wildlife crossings—one near Hart Flat and one west of Broom Road. Caltrans said the design life for the new pavement is 40 to 50 years.

The presentation, given by Brian Westling, deputy district director for engineering in Caltrans District 9, focused on staging and traffic handling because of steep grades, narrow medians and environmental constraints including Tehachapi Creek and several oak species. Westling said the project team is preparing for a 60% review this summer, expects 100% design in summer 2026 and is targeting a spring 2027 construction start. The current construction estimate is about 650 working days—roughly three years—although Westling cautioned schedules can change.

Why it matters: State Route 58 is a major interregional freight route. Caltrans said the new concrete overlay and climbing lane aim to extend pavement life and improve safety for heavy trucks on the grade, but staging and traffic handling will determine how much delay travelers experience during construction.

Caltrans described a staged approach that limits the maximum closure length to about 3–5 miles per segment. The agency said contractors would generally complete one segment before moving to the next to reduce the number of simultaneous closures. During work, Caltrans is planning to maintain one open travel lane in each direction adjacent to the active work zone in many locations to preserve shoulders for stalled vehicles and to provide larger, safer work zones for construction crews.

Westling summarized data collected during a temporary closure on Jan. 7: typical delays were around five minutes, peak delays never exceeded 30 minutes during that test, and observed queue lengths did not exceed 1.4 miles. He said reoccurring oversized permitted loads moving very slowly (about 5–8 mph) caused the biggest disruptions and sometimes required up to 45 minutes for the system to return to normal.

Right-of-way and environmental constraints: Westling said the project requires acquisitions from eight adjacent parcels—mostly fee takes—near the new climbing lane alignment and that appraisals are mostly complete. He listed lateral constraints including mountains, creeks, oak trees (Caltrans cited eight oak species), and a narrow median. He emphasized that eastbound and westbound lanes are stepped in elevation in places, which prevents some temporary median operations used elsewhere.

Construction methods and traffic mitigations: Caltrans said the project will mostly be an overlay that raises the roadway profile, with about 5% of locations requiring complete slab removal and reconstruction where slabs have lost structural integrity. Because concrete paving equipment requires clearance outside the poured lane, Caltrans is refining staging plans to give the contractor adequate space. Planned mitigations include a 24-hour freeway service patrol (on-call tow), California Highway Patrol presence for safety, restricting oversized permitted loads during peak hours, targeted outreach to major shippers and truck associations, and use of shoulders and existing dirt pullouts for emergency stops.

Materials and operations questions from committee members focused on batching and bulk plant locations. Committee members warned that loaded concrete trucks climbing the grade could add slow-moving vehicles to the work zone and asked about options including nighttime pours and locating batch plants closer to reduce return-trip traffic. Westling said contractors will propose plant locations and that Caltrans is exploring options—including recycling crushed concrete within the work zone and possible night work for some pours—but that specifics are still under development while contractors plan crews and staging.

Funding and schedule risks: Westling said $222.7 million of Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IJA) funds are currently programmed for the portion being presented—he described the funds as “in the bank”—but he also noted an allocation deadline Caltrans staff referenced as Sept. 26 (date given by speaker). Committee members urged urgency; Westling said Caltrans is accelerating design and coordination with the Central Region and Bishop offices.

Next steps: Caltrans plans to complete the 60% design review this summer, finish 100% design in summer 2026, continue right-of-way negotiations on the eight parcels and refine staging plans. Committee members urged continuing coordination on permit restrictions for oversized loads, contractor batching locations and potential night work.

Ending: Caltrans officials said they will return with updated staging details as the 60% design is completed and encouraged local partners to help with outreach to large freight operators and local employers to reduce peak-period congestion during construction.